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NORTH WEST LONDON’S WEEKLY TORAH & OPINION SHEETS
A Torah publication that enables local Rabbonim and Avreichim to share their insights and Divrei Torah on a variety of different levels, to provide something for everyone
26TH MAY 2018
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Community Rabbi of Borehamwood & Elstree Synagogue
The author can be contacted at rabbichapper@borehamwoodshul.org
For the accountants among you or for those Parshah who are just interested in gematria, here is an interesting note by the classic commentary Ba’al Haturim. Hashem’s instruction to the Kohanim to bless the Jewish People begins with the word, ‘koh - so’ which has the numerical value of twenty five and this is also the number of times the terms ‘bracha - blessing’ and ‘shalom - peace’ appear in the Torah. For this reason the priestly blessing begins with blessing and concludes with peace which is alluded to in the pasuk in Tehillim, ‘May Hashem bless His people with peace’.
However, if we look closely at the Torah’s instruction we discover that it is not the sole preserve of the Kohanim but at the same time contains a
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Rabbi Alex Chapper
Perhaps of even greater significance is the formula that is given to procure the blessing of peace. ‘Hashem spoke to Moshe, saying: Speak to Aharon and his sons, saying: So shall you bless the Children of Israel, speak to them.’ Then follows the exact wording of the blessing which is still used to this day; every day in most of Eretz Yisrael, on Yamim Tovim in Chutz la Aretz and traditionally on Friday nights by parents to their children.
זמן הדלקת נרות
universal method for conferring blessing and peace upon others. ‘So shall you bless the Children of Israel, speak to them.’ Those last three words, ‘speak to them’ are not a superfluous repetition, they are in fact a potent reminder to us all. We all have the capacity to be a source of blessing depending on how we speak to others. At the very basic level, by communicating with other people - from the non-verbal kind with a smile to simply saying ‘hello’, ‘nice to see you’, ‘how are you’ - breaks down barriers and builds bridges, the first step of turning strangers into friends. In its most advanced
form, speaking can create peace by expressing gratitude and appreciation, exchanging opinions and ideas, expressing commonality and working together for the common good. The ability to communicate by means of speech is perhaps the most dramatic difference between human beings and other life forms. This G-d given gift may reflect in the deepest sense how human beings are made in Hashem’s image for Hashem spoke, and heaven and earth came into being. We too can fashion the world in which we live through our words and bring blessing and peace.
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Rabbi Avraham Blickstein
2
Kollel Mevaser Israel, Darchei Hora’ah Institutions
The Author can be contacted at abrahamblick@gmail.com
SEDRA SUMMARY Thank you to Chabad.org
C
ompleting the headcount of the Bnei Yisroel taken in the Sinai Desert, a total of 8,580 male Leviim between the ages of 30 and 50 are counted in a tally of those who will be doing the actual work of transporting the Mishkan. Hashem communicates to Moshe the din of the sotah, the wayward wife suspected of unfaithfulness. Also given is the law of the nazir, who forswears wine, lets his or her hair grow long, and is forbidden to become contaminated through contact with a dead body. Aharon and his descendants, the kohanim, are instructed on how to bless the Bnei Yisroel. The leaders of the twelve shevatim each bring their offerings for the inauguration of the mizbeach. Although their gifts are identical, each is brought on a different day and is individually described by the Torah.
Parshah This weeks parsha discusses the laws of the nazir, one who takes a vow to abstain from wine, and the sotah, the woman who is suspected of adultery. Rashi, noting the juxtaposition of these laws, cites the famous Gemara (Sotah 2a) that one who sees the sotah in her ruin will vow to abstain from wine. The idea being expressed is that when a person does not want to sin, he sets boundaries, and through not drinking wine he ensures that he too does not come to disgrace. What is seemingly perplexing is that surely after having just witnessed the punishment given to the sotah (a miraculous death during which her stomach explodes) one will not need any help in not sinning; the sight of the sotah is a strong enough deterrent. Why then must he still abstain from wine? Perhaps we can explore the narrative of the sotah as follows. A woman has been accused of adultery, and, according to the specific laws detailed in the Parsha, she is brought to Yerushalayim to the Beis Hamikdash, to be tested by the holy waters. If she is guilty, her end is soon coming. We may assume from the above Gemara that the people were notified of the upcoming procedure, and that crowds may have gathered to witness her punishment, in much the same way that crowds gathered to watch executions throughout history. A person may find himself going to watch for many positive reasons, such as to instil within himself fear of Heaven, but perhaps, subconsciously, there may be found a trace of interest, fascination, even an attraction to the gruesome spectacle. It is here that Chazal inform us that if there is even a trace of “attraction”, there is some indication that the man is not horrified by what the woman has done; that a part of him “understands” the sin she has committed. In fact, seeing such a sight can have a reverse effect on a person; a sin that was previously unthinkable is now something that he knows firsthand that others also have temptations for! Perhaps we can bring out this idea from another place. The pasuk (Bereishis 13, 10-11) relates that when Lot journeyed from Avraham, “he lifted his eyes and saw the planes of the Yarden, that it was all irrigated…and Lot chose the plains of the Yarden, and he journeyed from the east and [Avraham and
Lot] were separated from one another”. Rashi cites the Gemara that understands that Lot in fact saw the evil ways of the inhabitants of the plain (Sedom) and chose to live there for this reason. Perhaps concealed deep inside Lot was a desire to live with such people, and he had suppressed this desire the entire time he lived with Avraham, acting as a respectable person. When the opportunity arose to move to such a place, however, his intentions may have generally been because of the luscious pastures, but his inner desires did not prevent him from living with such evil people. There are times when there are things we would like to do, and we do not permit ourselves to do them, until the circumstances change, and there is a genuine need to do something that may bring us closer to sin. At this point, we must take accountability, and ask ourselves: do we feel “forced” into the situation, and disgusted by the thought of sin, or is there a slight “happiness” that we are in such a risky situation? If we are disgusted, it is a sign that this sin is truly something that we do not want, and we may face the new circumstances with strength and commitment to do the right thing. If we feel the opposite, perhaps this is an indication that we are not strong enough to subject ourselves to this test. This is the explanation to the above Gemara: “one who sees a sotah in her ruin will vow to abstain from wine”. If the person goes merely to “see” the sotah, but not learn from her downfall, he should realise that perhaps inside him as well is a desire to sin, and that he is placated that others sin too. At this point, he must create new boundaries to stop himself falling into the clutches of temptation. May the Al-mighty help us to survive all difficult temptations and be faithful only to Him!
Please Daven For
Please Daven For
Please Daven For
יצחק אייזיק בן יהודית רחל נ"י
’שירה תמר בת שושנה דבורה תחי
אריאל יהודה בן יהודית נ”י
לרפואה שלימה בתוך שאר חולי ישראל
לרפואה שלימה בתוך שאר חולי ישראל
לרפואה שלימה בתוך שאר חולי ישראל
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Parshas Naso is the longest parsha with 176 pesukim, verses. What are the other two longest places that have the same number of 176?
This page is sponsored by Federation
Rabbi Yisroel Moshe Guttentag
3
Rabbinic Coordinator, KF Kosher; Federation Shailatext
The author can be contacted at rabbi.guttentag@federation.org.uk
Parshah
Maasertext [Week 2] Having looked last week at the principles behind the mitzvos of Terumos and Maasros, this week’s MaaserText article focuses on the simple and streamlined instructions which have been designed for the separation of Maaser.
been distributed in colourful magnets, and can be forwarded by email as well.
ÂÂ Perutah chamurah coin – the final stage of the procedure involves transferring the Maaser Sheni kedushah from the fruit onto a coin. In some cases, a specially prepared perutah chamurah coin is halachically required. Our service makes a perutah chamurah available for all. With a simple text sent to our system, members of the public are authorised to make a one-off use of our coin.
What is the MaaserText service? MaaserText is a service of the Federation Beis Din which was set up to deal with an increasing demand for assistance with separating Terumos and Maasros from produce grown in Eretz Yisroel. Many people are not educated in the practical observance of these mitzvos. Some people may initially choose to avoid purchasing these fruits and vegetables, in order to avoid the halachic issues involved, but once the produce is bought (and sometimes already cooked), they find themselves being required to separate the necessary tithes. MaaserText is on hand to help!
How do I take Terumos and Maasros?
There are our service:
two
primary
features
There are five simple stages:
2. Text the word MAASER to 07800 006 913 to receive permission to use the Federation’s coin – each individual species requires another use of the coin, so text again for this.
to
3. Declaration - Make the following declaration: “I hereby designate the required Terumos and Maasros, according to the Federation Beis Din’s
ÂÂ Simple and accurate instructions for the hafrosho – separation procedure. These instructions are available online, have
riddle
Parsha
QUESTION
Thank you to Boruch Kahan bkahan47@yahoo.co.uk
CLUE
Think of the years that two of the Ovos lived till and it should help.
TEXT
QUIZ TIME
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5. Wrap the food you have separated and dispose of it in the bin; the rest may be eaten.
Produce grown in Eretz Yisroel may not be eaten until the required Terumos and Maasros have been separated. In rare situations, where one knows that the produce is tevel vadai – i.e. it has definitely not been tithed, a brocho is made before making the declaration. Israeli produce bought in the UK is considered to be of sofeik – doubtful – status, as there is a chance that these mitzvos have already been performed before the produce was exported. Therefore, although you need to perform the hafrosho ceremony, no brocho is made. Next week, we will look at occasions when the hafrosho declaration needs to be modified.
ANSWER FROM LAST WEEK
There is a number associated with this week's Parsha that also links it to a Kappitel Tehilim and the Talmud Bavli of one of the Masechtos of Shas. What is the number and what are the other 2 items above?
SHAILATEXT 07403 939 613
4. The entire process should be repeated for each individual species which requires hafrosho.
Do I make a brocho before making the declaration?
1. Preparing the food - Separate slightly more than 1% of the edible part of the produce – each individual species by itself. WARNING – ensure not to separate less than the required amount.
How does MaaserText help with the performance of this mitzvah?
nusach, and I hereby redeem any Maaser Sheni and Revai onto the coin that has been set aside for this by the Federation Beis Din in accordance with Beis Din’s nusach, and the terms of usage of the coin."
[Question: : Bamidbar is close to Shovuois on which we read Megilas Rus. Two different Pessukim in Parshas Bamidbar have the same three names in them, but they only refer to two people. However in Megilas Rus, one possuk contains two of these names, but it is to two different people, and in a different possuk in the Megila, the third name from the Possuk in Bamidbar occurs but this time refers to a place not a person. Find all the names in both the Parsha and the Megila]
Bamidbar Perek 1 Possuk 7 and Perek 2 Possuk 3 .The three names are Nachshoin and Aminodov, who is in fact one person the Nosi of the Shevet and Yehuda, which was the last of the three names mentioned in those Pessukim. Megilas Rus Perek 4 Possuk 20 Aminodov and Nachshon are listed as two separate people and Yehuda which comes in Perek 1 Possuk 1 is not a person but a place.
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This week’s Shailatext is
לע”נ שמעון בן שרגא ז”ל
What is the significance of Parshas Naso coming straight after Shavuos (in most years)?
Rabbi Daniel Fine
4
Community Rabbi, Stanmore and Canons Park US; Hasmonean Beis Programme
The author can be contacted at danielpfine@gmail.com
Parshah
No Wine-ing The Gemara, cited by Rashi (Bamidbar 6:2), asks why the Torah juxtaposes the topics of the sotah and the nazir (the person who vows to refrain from wine, amongst other things)? The Gemara answers that “anyone who sees the sotah in her decrepit state will refrain from wine, for wine leads to adultery.” It seems like a reasonable answer, but if one looks a little deeper there is a difficulty in the reasoning. When one sees a sotah in her decrepit state one is affected enough that there is no need to resolve to abstain from wine. After one has seen what
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(suspected) infidelity can do to a person, one is sure never to commit such an act - for the consequences have made such an impression on the mind’s eye. Thus, there should be no need to abstain from wine; if anything, only a person who has not seen the sotah process might need to safeguard himself by abstaining from wine. If so, how does this comment of Rashi make sense? There are two classic answers to this question. The first is that an ‘impression’ does not go very far unless one grounds it in some form of action. Thus, in order to ground and cement this inner commitment to avoid going near adultery, one commits to refrain from wine. Rav Nissan Kaplan shlit’a offers a second approach. True, a person may have seen the sotah in her decrepit state, but the very fact that he has found out that someone has committed such a sin will mean that he is more likely to fall in this area too (‘if she can sink to such a level, maybe I can too’). Thus, in order to prevent such a failing, a person takes the precautionary steps in refraining from wine. We have a precedent for this idea: Amalek paved the way for any other nation to attack us by ‘cooling down the bath’ in being the first nation to attack us after we left Egypt. Even though we defeated them in battle, the very fact that a nation dared attack Bnei Yisrael allowed the other nations to conceive of mounting such an attack themselves in the future.
Jews
of
all
backgrounds
The Torah (Bamidbar 6:11) tells us that a nazir must bring a sin offering. Rashi (ibid. 6:11) cites the Tanna, Rabbi Eliezer Hakappar, who explains that the nazir has sinned in wrongly withholding wine from himself. This appears to contradict a passuk (ibid. 6:5) which attests that such a person is holy due to becoming a nazir. Which one is he - holy or a sinner? The Kli Yakar resolves this contradiction by noting that the Torah only assumes that the nazir has sinned if he desecrates his nezirus by coming into contact with a corpse. Since this has the effect of cancelling his previous days of nezirus, requiring him to start his days of nezirus all over again, the previous days of refraining from wine have been shown to be in vain. This is why he is branded a sinner, for it turns out that he refrained from wine for no reason. In contrast, a regular nazir who manages to see out his term of nezirus successfully is not considered a sinner. (For more information on the subject of whether a nazir is regarded as a saint or a sinner, see Ramban Bamidbar 6:14, Tosafos Bava Kama 91b ‘ela,’ and the Rambam Hilchos Deos 3:1, Hilchos Nezirus 10:14, and Hilchos Nedarim 13:23-24.)
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31 May - י"ז סיון
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מגילה ב: ג- ה:ב
מגילה ד: ב- א:ב
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ח:תענית ד ז: א- ד:ג מגילה א:א מגילה-
שקלים ו-פרקים ג
ג: ד- ז:תענית ב
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'דברי הימים ב פרק ל"ג
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When else during the year do we read from Parshas Naso?
Rabbi Zev Leff
5
Rav of Moshav Matityahu
Parshah
The author can be contacted at zevleff@gmail.com
The Nazir - A Holy Sinner All the days of his abstinence, he is holy to Hashem [Bamidbar 6:8] The Kohen shall make one as a sin-offering and one as an elevationoffering, and he shall bring atonement on him for having sinned against the person; and he shall sanctify his head on that day.(Bamidbar 6:11) The nazir who vows not to drink wine is elevated to a level of holiness similar to that of the Kohen Gadol. Like the Kohen Gadol, he is prohibited from defiling himself for the dead, even his closest relatives, and the Torah describes his hair, which he must let grow, as sanctified. Yet this very same nazir must bring a korban chatas - a sin offering - at the termination of his vow. The Gemara explains that this sacrifice is to atone for the sin of denying himself the pleasure of wine. Thus the same vow which elevates him to a level of holiness also causes him to be adjudged a sinner. Why? “All that the Holy One, Blessed is He, created in His world, He created solely for His glory” (Pirkei Avos 6:11). Hashem created the world for man to utilize in His service, not to be retreated from. Every aspect of creation can and must be utilized to aid one in understanding and drawing closer to its Creator. The Torah outlook on the physical world is diametrically opposed to the Christian viewpoint. Christianity teaches that the material world is inherently evil. Any enjoyment of the pleasures of the physical world is permissible only as the lesser of two evils. The only sacrifice a gentile may bring is an olah, which is wholly consumed. The only kedusha understood by the nations of the world is total negation of the material world. By contrast, our most exalted sacrifice is the shelamim (literally a perfect, harmonious offering) where only a small portion of the offering is burnt on the altar. Most of the offering is eaten by the one who brought the sacrifice and the Kohen who offered it. My Rosh Yeshiva, Rabbi Mordechai Gifter zt’’l explains the verse, “Be holy, for I, Hashem your G-d am holy” (Vayikra 19:2), to mean that just as Hashem is intimately involved in every aspect of the physical world - since only His will at every moment allows anything to exist - so, too, must we have contact with the entire physical world. But our involvement must imitate Hashem’s: we must elevate and sanctify the physical, and not let the physical drag us into materialism devoid of spirituality. In the World to Come, we will be taken to task for everything in this world we could have enjoyed and elevated but did not. Every year we make a bracha over the blooming fruit trees to remind ourselves that Hashem created good and beneficial creations for man’s enjoyment. The wine forbidden to the nazir can enhance our performance of various mitzvos and occasions of joy by helping us give expression to our innermost sentiments. When detached, however, from mitzvos and utilized as an end in itself, it degrades a person by robbing him of his most precious possession, his mind. Thus one who “sees a sotah in her disgrace,” i.e. brought to shame from an abuse of wine, and who recognises a similar weakness in himself, should vow to abstain from wine for a period of time to control his weakness. Recognising one’s weakness and choosing abstinence over abuse renders one holy. But lest the nazir lose sight of the ideal, the Torah reminds him that he is nevertheless a sinner. He has not yet achieved
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the goal of life of elevating the entire physical world. Were he on the ideal level, he would not have to abstain from wine, but would instead utilize it for spiritual growth. Thus the same vow that renders him holy is also a compromise of the true ideal. In this context, we can better understand the requirement that the nazir let his hair grow wild. The hair corresponds to the spiritual connections that link a person to his spiritual essence above. When the hair is in order, the physical and spiritual worlds mesh. Both the king and the Kohanim are required to cut their hair regularly as a sign of the orderly bond to the spiritual world that is necessary to properly fill their exalted positions of authority. A nazir must let his hair grow wild to signify the short-circuit that necessitates his temperance. At the conclusion of his lesson in self-control, he shaves his hair to signify a new beginning, a total reorganisation and rewiring of his physical-spiritual bonds. The hair is then burnt under the pot in which his shelamim offering is cooked to signify this new found harmony. In this context the Torah states, “and after [this process] the nazir can drink wine” (Bamidbar 6:20). This verse is problematic, since after the process is finished he is no longer a nazir. The Torah is telling us that the purpose of his nezirus was not abstinence for its own sake, but rather as a lesson in how to properly drink wine after the period is over. Hence the goal of his nezirus is to drink wine as a nazir, as one sanctified and uplifted.
A Quick Vort: Ma’ayanah shel Torah by Yisroel Avrohom Kaye The posuk (Bamidbar 5:6) says “when a man or women commits any sin that men commit, to commit a trespass against Hashem” The Mayano Shel Torah brings the Sforno who explains based on Rashi that the aveiro in question is the robbing of someone who has converted to yiddishkeit. He explains that the reason it is viewed as a trespass against Hashem is that a convert has sought shelter under the wing of Yiddishkeit and to rob them causes a serious chillul hashem and is therefore guilty of causing a trespass against Hakodosh Boruch Hu
Why does Parshas Naso start in the middle of describing the different parts of Shevet Levi, tribe of Levi, that were allocated to carry different parts of the Mishkon, tabernacle? Why does it start with the Bnei Gershon splitting it up from the Bnei Kehas who are already mentioned last week in Parshas Bamidbar?
Rabbi Yissochor Frand
6
Rosh Yeshiva, Ner Yisrael Baltimore
Parshah
One Must Carry a Tune, Not a Chip on His Shoulder
R
av Gedaliah Schorr zt’’l draws an important lesson in communal service from a second verse in this week’s parsha. It states (Bamidbar 7:9} regarding the transporting duties of the children of Kehas, “And they should carry it (yisa’u) on their shoulders.” And yet, there is an interesting Gemara in Erchin [11a] which interprets the word “yisa’u,” not in relationship to carrying but in relationship to singing. How ironic, says Rav Gedaliah Schorr zt’’l, that the same word, which means they should schlep on their shoulders, also means that they should sing. There are two ways one can schlep something — one can schlep with
a sigh or one can schlep with a song. When one is working for an organisation one can schlep and complain and be bitter about the difficulties encountered. On the other hand one can keep in mind the importance of the work and can work with a smile and indeed even with a niggun. The weight of community service has to be borne with a tune and with enthusiasm. That must be the approach to Avodas HaTzibbur. Anyone who has ever worked for any communal organization knows that the work is full of aggravation. People rarely come up and say “Yasher Koach, it was a beautiful job.” They come with complaints and critiques. One
Peace Begins at Home
T
his week’s Parsha contains the Birkas Kohanim. Each of the brachos [Bamidbar 6:24-27] is said in the singular. The reason is because a Bracha always has to be tailor-made for the recipient. This makes perfect sense throughout the Priestly Blessing, until we come to the final blessing “And may He grant peace to you.” We recently mentioned that Peace is the most important of all blessings. “Without peace there is nothing” [Sifra Bechukosai]. “Hashem did not find a vessel that could hold blessing other than Peace” [Uktzin 3:12]. A person can have health, wealth, children, everything. But if he doesn’t have Shalom, he doesn’t have anything. Maseches Berachos ends with the words “Hashem grants strength to His nation; Hashem will bless His nation with Peace” [Tehillim 29:11]. The last tractate in Shas, Uktzin, contains the above quoted Mishnah
(Hashem did not find a vessel that could hold blessing other than Peace). Shalom is the key to everything. Peace and the lack thereof always involve more than one person. If a person doesn’t have peace with his wife or his neighbour, there are at least two people involved. If there is no peace in the world it is between countries. Why then, is the blessing for Peace in the singular.
This is something that affects young and old, Jew and non-Jew. The whole matter of “mid-life crises” is that a person has no inner peace. He reaches 40 or 45 and asks himself “Is this what I really want to do? Is this what it is really all about?” Again, there is no peace.
The Menachem Zion says that the premise of the question is a mistake. Indeed, a person needs Shalom. But the most primary need for peace is between a person and himself. One must be at peace with oneself. If we look at people and talk with people throughout various stages of their lives, we invariably find that people are torn about what they should do and what they should not do. There is sometimes inner conflict and inner turmoil about how people should lead their lives.
Therefore, when the Torah gives us the blessing of Peace, Hashem knows where to start. He starts with the individual. “V’Yasem Lecha Shalom.” Once a person has inner peace, he can have peace with his wife, peace with his family, and ultimately peace with the entire world. But it starts with himself.
Tehillim, Psalms, Number 119. It has each of the twenty-two letters of the Aleph-Beis in eight pesukim, verses. The longest Mesechta is Bova Basra with 176 dapim, pages. 2. Parshas Naso, the longest parsha, comes after Shavuos to demonstrate that coming out of Shavuos we put the love for Torah into practice by having longer and more Torah. This is why the Midrash Rabba on Parshas Naso is so large, much more than other parshios. Also, the Zohar on Parshas Naso is the large Idra Rabba. (See Chidushei HoRim in Sefer Hazechus) 3. We also read Parshas Naso during the eight days of Chanuka. Some also have the minhag, custom, to read from it the first twelve days of the month of Nissan. The reading here is the korbonous, sacrifices, brought by the Nesiyim, leaders, during the inauguration of the Mishkon, Tabernacle.
QUIZ TIME
“On their shoulders they should lift it (yisa’u)”. As the Talmud says, the word yisa’u refers to song. In other words, forget about it! The reward awaiting community service is very great. It should be borne with a song, not with a sigh.
The place where Peace has to begin is “at home” — a person has to be at peace with himself. People who are always upset, always fighting, never happy with everybody else, are ultimately and essentially not at peace with themselves. People who are disappointed; people who are dissatisfied with themselves — are dissatisfied with everything else, as well.
1. The other longest places that have the number 176 is the longest kapital, chapter in
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can put on a dinner for a thousand people. Everything can be beautiful and one fellow comes up and his only comment is “Why did you sit me next to the door?” That is his whole commentary on the entire evening. The chairman has worked for weeks, and this is all he gets? “Why did you put me next to the door?”
ANSWERS 4. The Abarbanel explains that really the order of the tribe of Levi from most important to least was Kohes, Gershon and Merari, as seen by which parts of the Mishkan, Tabernacle, that they were allocated to carry when travelling. Gershon was the oldest and in order to placate him not being given the most important job, he instead was made to start the new parsha, Parshas Naso. 5. Purity enables closeness to Hashem while tuma, impurity, acts as a separation to make Hashem distance Himself from us. In order to ensure that Hashem remains close to the Jewish Nation and is not penalised by individuals, people who were in impure states were told to leave the camp, ensuring that the Shechina, remained with the rest of the people. 6. The connection is that Parshas Naso contains in it the parsha of nazir, while the haftara deals with the informing the parents of Shimshon that he would be a nazir.
5. Why do the people who are tamai, impure, need to be sent out of the camp? livingwithmitzvos.com
Rabbi Yossi Goldberg
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tefilah
New T efilah Series
)' (בראשית מח' כב:ׁשּתי ִ ֲא ֶׁשר לָ ַק ְח ִּתי ִמּיַ ד ָה ֱֽאמ ִֹרי ְּב ַח ְר ִּבי ְּוב ַק Which I took from the hand of Emory with my sword and my bow When Yaakov Avinu described to Yosef how he fought against Esav, he said that he used “my sword and my bow.” The Medrash writes that these two words refer to Yaakov’s Mitzvos and good deeds that he did. But Rashi brings from Chazal that this refers to “my wisdom and my Tefilla.” Why is Tefilla compared to a bow and arrow? The Kotzker Rebbe explains that when you shoot a bow and arrow, the way it works is that the more you pull the string towards yourself, the more power the arrow has once you release it. The same is true with Tefilla. The closer you bring the Tefilla to your heart, to Daven from the depths, the more power and impact it will have in Shomayim (your target). The Targum goes further and translates both of Yaakov’s words to mean different expressions of Tefilla.
A Yungerman was feeling a bit despondent. He realised that he was short of a few hundred dollars for Shabbos and there was no sign of any money coming in his direction. He sat in his car and davened simply and with feeling. “Hashem, please help me out here. I need some money for Shabbos!” He davened meaningfully and straight from his heart. He finished and his cell phone rang. On the other end of the line was someone offering him a one off job to be done immediately, and the pay was the exact figure that he needed for Shabbos. A private Tefilla straight from the heart. It was a perfect shot.
What are these two types of Tefillos and how do they both connect to the words, “my sword and my bow”? The Brisker Rov elaborates that there are two types of Tefillos that we Daven. 1. The Shemone Esrei which was designed by the Anshei Keneses Hagedoloh and follows a fixed text. 2. A private individual Tefilla which is formulated by the indivudual using the words of their own choosing. A sword is sharp edged and can therefore harm on its own without any effort from the one who is holding it. The arrow however, totally depends on the person who is shooting it and how much power they are able to put into the shot. Shemoneh Esrei is comparable to the sword, explains the Brisker Rov. On its own, it is so holy and powerful; it doesn’t really matter about the person who is the one saying the words. This is like the sword that has its own power even without the person holding it. Whereas an individual Tefilla needs a lot of mercy in order that it should be heard in Shamayim and therefore it depends a lot on the person who is Davening it. This is like the arrow that depends on the power of the shooter. These are the two types of Tefillos that the Targum referred to בחרבי
ובקשתיwith my sword and my bow. This can be an encouraging thought in two ways. Firstly, for the fellow who comes to Shul to Daven but his heart is simply not in it. He may say, “What’s the point if I’m not going to be able to concentrate any way.” To him we say - Shemoneh Esrei is so powerful on its own! Just say the words (even without total concentration) and it will already have meaning in Shamayim. Secondly, to the person who wants to daven a private Tefilla we say - put your heart in it! Allow the words to flow from the depths of your heart and then it will truly have power! Just like the Yungerman in the following story; a private Tefilla does not have to be long or articulate but it does have to come from the heart.
QUIZ TIME
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6. What is the connection between Parshas Naso and the haftara that deals with the informing of the birth of Shimshon?
Whilst dreams and ברכת כהניםare indeed linked, I would like to share with you a beautiful insight from Rabbi Reisman shlita which he based on thoughts from Rabbi Schwab on this topic. For us in Chutz L’aretz its something that we associate with Yom Tov however in Eretz Yisrael it’s a daily occurrence. The 15 words of ברכת כהניםare essentially 3 blessings. The people who are being blessed should think about what is being said and the Kohanim must understand what they are saying. The explanation is based on a Midrash. י ְָב ֶרכְ ָך ה’ וְ י ְִש ְׁמ ֶרָך is the first blessing, and it’s for Hatzlacha in Gashmius so that a person should have good fortune in his pursuit of his physical needs. The Midrash says ’ י ְָב ֶרכְ ָך הthat Hashem should bless you with wealth and וְ י ְִש ְׁמ ֶרָךand he should guard that wealth from thieves. So the first blessing addresses the physical needs of a human being. The second blessing ּיחנֶ ָּך ֻ ִ ו, י ֵָאר ה’ ָפּנָ יו ֵאלֶ יָךis a longer one. It is a blessing that a person should succeed in Ruchniyos ie his spiritual needs. With these words we express that Hashem should light us up with an understanding of his Torah, ּיחנֶ ָּך ֻ ִ וis a Lashon of Chein and a gift. We say Ata Chonein L’adam Da’as, Hashem gives a person Da’as and a gift of understanding. A person has to use it the right way. So י ֵָאר ה’ ָפּנָ יו ֵאלֶ יָךmeans may Hashem should light you up with his countenance and his being and give you Chein. That is a blessing is for Ruchniyus. So the first Beracha is for Gashmiyos, the second blessing for Ruchniyos. What about the third blessing וְ י ֵָשׂם לְ ָך ָשׁלֹום, י ִָשּׂא ה’ ָפּנָ יו ֵאלֶ יָך, what is left? This is a blessing for Menuchas Hanefesh. A person should not fall into a state of Behala, of tumult. A person should have a calm life in the pursuit of his needs, this applies to whatever needs he has, be they physical or spiritual. A person should have a calmness of Menuchas Hanefesh.
י ִָשּׂא ה’ ָפּנָ יו ֵאלֶ יָךmeans a person should have a sense of Nesias Panim. There is a Gemara in Maseches Berachos that says י ִָשּׂא ה’ ָפּנָ יו ֵאלֶ יָךis an idea that Hashem plays favourites and he looks favourably at Klal Yisrael. This is the meaning of the last blessing. There is Menuchas Hanefesh when a person feels that Hashem is looking and smiling at him with an idea of favouritism in the eyes of Hashem. With this explanation of Rav Schwab we can explain what would otherwise be a difficult Gemara. The Gemara in the last Perek of Maseches Megillah says that there are three Aliyos on a weekday, five on a Yom Tov, and seven on a Shabbos. K’negged Mi? Why
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are there 3, 5, and 7? The Gemara responds that they correspond to the words of the 3 blesings of ברכת כהנים. י ְָב ֶרכְ ָך ה’ וְ י ְִש ְׁמ ֶרָךhas three words, ּיחנֶ ָּך ֻ ִ ו, י ֵָאר ה’ ָפּנָ יו ֵאלֶ יָךis five words, and וְ י ֵָשׂם לְ ָך ָשׁלֹום, י ִָשּׂא ה’ ָפּנָ יו ֵאלֶ יָךis seven words. So we do see that there is a correlation between the Aliyos and the words of ברכת כהנים. What does ברכת כהניםhave to do with the order of Aliyos that we have for the weekdays, Yom Tov, and Shabbos. With Rav Schwab’s explanation it is beautiful. During the week is the time that we pursue our physical needs. Therefore the first blessing of י ְָב ֶרכְ ָךis appropriate. Yom Tov is a time of Aliyah L’regel when we pursue growth in our spiritual needs and therefore Yom Tov is the one with five words and so we have five Aliyos. Shabbos is a day that Hashem created Menucha, rest. A time that when we pursue Menuchas Hanefesh and therefore, it is fitting that the last blessing of seven words corresponds to the seven Aliyos of Shabbos. Look how beautifully it fits. In Chutz L’aretz there is a Minhag that after the Chazzan says the first blessing we say bizechus of Avraham Avinu, the second bizechus of Yitzchok Avinu, and the third bizechus of Yaakov Avinu. This fits beautifully as we shall see: The first blessing is for Gashmiyus. Avraham’s Midda was that of Chesed. Using one’s physical possessions in the pursuit of doing kindness to others so therefore we say bizechus of Avraham Avinu we should have Hatzlacha. Avrohom showed this aspect at Pesach when hosting the Malachim. We hope to have good fortune in our pursuit of our physical needs something that can be used for Chesed. The second bracha is K’negged Yitzchak Avinu. Pachad Yitzchak, Yitzchak is the time of Shevuos, the time of Mattan Torah. That of course corresponds beautifully to Ruchniyus. This is Yitzchok Avinu. The third blessing which is of Menuchas Hanefesh corresponds to Yaakov Avinu. Yaakov wanted to Leisheiv B’shalva. He wanted Menuchas Nefesh. In appreciation for Menuchas Nefesh, the Yehi Ratzon is bizchus Yaakov Avinu which is of course the Yom Tov of Sukkos. That fits well because Yaakov Avinu built Sukkos, Sukkos is K’negged Yaakov Avinu. The whole idea of leaving one’s house and being satisfied with the Sukkah is Menuchas Hanefesh. Not needing more and being happy with what you have even if it is a bit more difficult.
- LEONARD ORMONDE
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